A pendulum-type electromagnetic actuator is provided. The actuator includes a curved stationary member comprising a stationary core and a winding wound about the stationary core. A first moving member includes a first moving core and a first plurality of permanent magnets attached to the first moving core, the first moving member is curved and positioned on a first side of the stationary member. A second moving member includes a second moving core and a second plurality of permanent magnets attached to the second moving core, the second moving member is curved and position on a second side of the stationary member, the second side opposite the first side. The actuator further includes a pivot and a pivot connector connecting at least one of the first moving member and the second moving member to the pivot such that the curved moving member rotates about the pivot.
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17. A method of manufacturing a pendulum-type electromagnetic actuator, the method comprising:
providing a curved, arc-shaped stationary member having a stationary core and a winding wound about the stationary core, the curved, arc-shaped stationary member positioned about a pivot;
installing a first arc-shaped moving member on a first side of the curved, arc-shaped stationary member, the first arc-shaped moving member having a first moving core and a first plurality of permanent magnets attached to the first moving core; and
installing a second arc-shaped moving member on a second side of the curved, arc-shaped stationary member, the second side opposite the first side, the second arc-shaped moving member having a second moving core and a second plurality of permanent magnets attached to the second moving core,
wherein the first arc-shaped moving member is connected to the pivot by a pivot connector.
1. A pendulum-type electromagnetic actuator comprising:
a curved arc-shaped stationary member comprising a stationary core and a winding wound about the stationary core;
a first arc-shaped moving member comprising a first moving core and a first plurality of permanent magnets attached to the first moving core, the first arc-shaped moving member being curved and positioned on a first side of the arc-shaped stationary member;
a second arc-shaped moving member comprising a second moving core and a second plurality of permanent magnets attached to the second moving core, the second arc-shaped moving member being curved and positioned on a second side of the arc-shaped stationary member, the second side opposite the first side;
a pivot; and
a pivot connector connecting at least one of the first arc-shaped moving member and the second arc-shaped moving member to the pivot such that the respective moving member rotates about the pivot.
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The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to electromagnetic actuators.
An electromagnetic actuator may be configured as a short-stroke electromechanical energy conversion device which converts electrical energy directly into mechanical energy. Such mechanical energy may include linear or rotational motion. An electromagnetic actuator may include moving parts that include permanent magnets (PMs) and/or a ferromagnetic member.
Short-stroke electromagnetic actuators may be used to provide and/or generate oscillatory motion. Such short-stroke actuators have found multiple applications as short stroke linear motors, compressors, pumps, valves, etc. In aerospace applications, electromagnetic actuators with oscillatory motion can be used for valves, e.g., for fuel control, pumps, refrigeration systems, etc.
According to one embodiment, a pendulum-type electromagnetic actuator is provided. The actuator includes a curved stationary member comprising a stationary core and a winding wound about the stationary core. A first moving member includes a first moving core and a first plurality of permanent magnets attached to the first moving core, the first moving member is curved and positioned on a first side of the stationary member. A second moving member includes a second moving core and a second plurality of permanent magnets attached to the second moving core, the second moving member is curved and position on a second side of the stationary member, the second side opposite the first side. The actuator further includes a pivot and a pivot connector connecting at least one of the first moving member and the second moving member to the pivot such that the curved moving member rotates about the pivot.
Technical effects of embodiments of the present disclosure include an improved electromagnetic actuator that is a pendulum-type actuator. Further technical effects include electromagnetic actuators that may provide high force/torque density and have low power losses along with convection cooling and not clogging.
The foregoing features and elements may be combined in various combinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated otherwise. These features and elements as well as the operation thereof will become more apparent in light of the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, the following description and drawings are intended to be illustrative and explanatory in nature and non-limiting.
The subject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the present disclosure are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
As shown and described herein, various features of the disclosure will be presented. Various embodiments may have the same or similar features and thus the same or similar features may be labeled with the same reference numeral, but preceded by a different first number indicating the figure to which the feature is shown. Thus, for example, element “a” that is shown in FIG. X may be labeled “Xa” and a similar feature in FIG. Z may be labeled “Za.” Although similar reference numbers may be used in a generic sense, various embodiments will be described and various features may include changes, alterations, modifications, etc. as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, whether explicitly described or otherwise would be appreciated by those of skill in the art.
As disclosed herein, in accordance with some embodiments, a type of arc-shaped, short-stroke, pendulum-type actuator is presented. The pendulum-type actuator in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein may find broad applications in aerospace technology, e.g., servo control valves (e.g., flapper nozzle servo valves, jet pipe servo valves, etc.) used in aircraft systems, including for example fuel, oil, hydraulic, pneumatic, and motor systems. Further, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, actuators as described herein may be employed in various technology areas and/or applications outside of aircraft systems.
In
For example, the servo state 104 may include a servo (e.g., spool valve) 114. The servo 114 may be configured to move linearly, e.g., left and right in
Turning now to
Between the first moving member 224a and the second moving member 224b, and surrounded at least partially by the permanent magnets 228a, 228b of the moving members 224, may be a stationary member 234. The stationary member 234 may include a winding 236, such as an armature winding, wound around a stationary core 238. In some non-limiting embodiments the stationary core 238 may be configured as an armature ferromagnetic core, and in other non-limiting embodiments the stationary core may be configured as a support structure, ferromagnetic or non-ferromagnetic.
In one non-limiting embodiment, with reference to
Although not shown, those of skill in the art will appreciate that actuators, such as shown in
Turning now to
As shown, a moving member 324, e.g., similar to moving member 224 of
Between the two moving members 324a, 324b may be the stationary member 334. The stationary member 334 may be formed of a winding 336 wrapped about a curved stationary core 338. In the embodiment of
Turning now to
Between the two moving members 424a, 424b may be the stationary member 434. The stationary member 434 may be formed of a winding 436 wrapped about a curved stationary core 438. In the embodiment of
Turning now to
Between the two moving members 524a, 524b may be the stationary member 534. The stationary member 534 may be formed of a winding 536 wrapped about a curved stationary core 538. In the embodiment of
Turning now to
Between the two moving members 624a, 624b may be the stationary member 634. The stationary member 634 may be formed of a winding 636 wrapped about a curved stationary core 638. In the embodiment of
Turning now to
Between the two moving members 724a, 724b may be the stationary member 734. The stationary member 734 may be formed of a winding 736 wrapped about a curved stationary core 738. In the embodiment of
As shown and described above, the winding may be made either of stiff coils (e.g., solid rectangular conductors), round conductors, or other types of conductors or windings. In accordance with a non-limiting example, in operation, the winding may be fed with a DC pulse current. A solid state converter for DC actuators may be a simple converter, such as a chopper. In other embodiments, the winding may be configured as a three-phase winding and fed with a three-phase AC current. In some such embodiments, the winding may be divided or partitioned into a plurality of coils and the sequence of coils may be configured as A, −B, C, −A, B, −C, A . . . , as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. A three-phase, pendulum-type actuator, as described herein, may be employed for applications that may require high force. In some embodiments, a three-phase actuator as described herein may require an adequately controlled solid state inverter, e.g., a pulse width modulation inverter. The developed force generated by the actuator may depend on the current in the winding and the magnetic flux density in the air gap between the permanent magnets of the moving member and a surface of the stationary member. As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, various configurations may include appropriate AC or DC sources electrically connected to the winding to supply the associated AC or DC currents.
In accordance with some embodiments, a Halbach array of permanent magnets may be employed in applications where miniaturization or good dynamic performance may be required. That is, a Halbach array allows for a high magnetic flux density in the air gap and does not need external return ferromagnetic paths (e.g., within the moving core) for the magnetic flux. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the moving core may be made of aluminum, other lightweight non-ferromagnetic metals, plastic, or other materials. In the case of the moving core made of metal, it may be advantageous to laminate the core in order to reduce eddy current losses.
Advantageously, embodiments described herein provide an electromagnetic actuator that is configured as a pendulum-type actuator. Advantageously, such pendulum-type actuators may provide high force/torque density. Further, advantageously, with embodiments described herein, power losses may be on the order of Joule's losses dissipated in the armature winding, which, in the case of DC current excitation are equal to the power consumption. Further, advantageously, eddy current losses in the armature ferromagnetic core due to movement of the moving member may be negligible. As a result of the low power losses, enabled by embodiments described herein, only a low temperature rise of the winding may be generated, and thus, in accordance with some embodiments, a pendulum-type electromagnetic actuator may be cooled by natural convection.
Furthermore, advantageously, embodiments described herein may have no clogging (for pneumatic actuator applications) due to objects and/or particles as no servo air is necessary to move the actuator. Furthermore, advantageously, embodiments described herein may provide a high reliability due to only one moving part (i.e., no winding on the moving part, no brush contact, etc.) and only a stationary armature winding is fed with electric current.
Moreover, advantageously, embodiments described herein may be applied to a wide range of applications, including but not limited to: electromagnetic valves for aerospace applications, pumps, compressors, sticks or joysticks (including controls on flight decks), and medical/clinical engineering. Further, for example, embodiments described herein may be employed for flight control surfaces (e.g., with three-phase winding). Further, for example, embodiments described herein may be applied to nose-wheel landing gear steering applications (e.g., with three-phase winding, high-torque actuator).
While the present disclosure has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the present disclosure is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the present disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions, combinations, sub-combinations, or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, while various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the present disclosure may include only some of the described embodiments.
For example, although only a single in-use application has been shown and described, those of skill in the art will appreciate that pendulum-type actuators may be used in any number of applications and/or configurations. For example, a pendulum-type actuator may be configured to replace other types of actuators, and thus the application described above is not intended to be limiting.
Accordingly, the present disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
Gieras, Jacek F., Ribarov, Lubomir A.
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